Sergeant York

Based on the true story of Alvin York (Gary Cooper), a hillbilly sharpshooter reluctant to fight in World War I because of his religion, who became the most decorated soldier in US history.

Sergeant York is a very well written and well acted film from director Howard Hawks with one glaring problem: a forty-year-old Gary Cooper. Yes, Cooper won an Oscar for his performance, but he’s still at least a decade too old for the part.

Seriously, this might not have been such a big deal if his love interest wasn’t played by a sixteen-year-old Joan Leslie. I mean, even for the hills of Tennessee that’s just plain creepy.

Now granted, the real life Alvin York would only sell the rights for his story under the condition that Gary Cooper play him, but why cast such a young girl opposite him? Leslie’s not even that good. She definitely comes across as more kid than a woman, and her affected southern accent is grating.

This gigantic gaffe aside, the film is pretty good, showing not only how York almost single handedly captured a squadron of Germans, but also, and more importantly, the events that lead him there, from his early hellion drinking days to his embracing of religion and a pacifist lifestyle. A young John Huston even worked on the screenplay, though, with four other writers, his contributions are diluted.

The supporting cast is solid, featuring Hawks mainstay Walter Brennan as York’s Pastor and father figure, and Ward Bond as one of York’s early drinking buddies.

Ultimately though, Sergeant York is a good movie with a problem too big to ignore, and it’s a shame because, while there’s no way to take ten years off Gary Cooper, putting him next to someone young enough to be his daughter sure makes those years stand out.